Guest blog: MIKE GOULD

Editor’s note: Mike won our ‘Join the BCM News Club’ competition and got himself an Audi Driving Experience Day at Silverstone. This is his account of a memorable day.

I arrived at 8.30 am sharp for my Audi Driving Experience at Silverstone.

I wasn’t sure what the day had in store so resisted the offered fry up and stuck to coffee just to be on the safe side. By lunchtime I knew I’d made the right decision!

After a 30 minute briefing we were introduced to three Audi works instructor drivers who’d flown over from Germany especially for us. Jerry and Josef were both experienced guys, and the third was a young man who looked about 18, Fredrik.  He later showed his talents leaving no-one in any doubt as to why he was a works driver for Audi.

After pairing up – my partner for the day was Simon who’d just finished 18 years in the army – it was out to the cars lined up in the Paddock. A quick count revealed nine Audi R8s, six A5 RSs and eight Audi TT RSs – all waiting to be thrashed by a group of budding Lewis Hamiltons! We’d be using the smaller Stowe circuit – roughly a mile round.

Our group jumped into the A5 RS. The first test was to get to know the correct racing line through a coned section of the track. Instructor Jerry drove first and we followed, circuit after circuit, and all the time the instructor was telling us we need to go FASTER! After an hour and a half, it was back to the pit lane for a quick coffee and exchange of stories so far.

• Testing the R8’s ABS meant driving flat out at a line of cones and stamping on the brakes to steer through them. All this with 540bhp under your foot!

Next it was our turn in the R8 with Simon behind the wheel. He steered out of the paddock very tentatively with an unaccustomed 540+ horses under his right foot! We followed our young instructor Fredrik out to the start of the straight. From my position in the passenger seat I could see a tunnel of cones about 50 metres in front of me with a chicane at the end.

Our instructor told us to drive flat out to the cones and then hit the brakes as hard as we could, emphasising that we must STAND on them for all we were worth, and steer the car round the chicane at the end until the R8 came to a stop. This apparently was to be a test of the R8’s ABS and stability system. He gave us a demonstration and the R8 disappeared up the straight like it had been fired out of a gun.  Before we could blink the car stopped in the exit of the chicane.

Then it was my turn. I planted my foot to the floor and focusing on the braking point at the cones I had a quick look at the speedo. We were just shy of 110 mph and still accelerating hard before, bang, I hit the brakes and steered round the chicane under intense braking. I really appreciated how much computer wizardry was going on in the car to help me bring it to a controlled stop.

Next it was the turn of the TT Rs, this time with instructor Josef in charge. This session was all about road holding, and the objective was to see how well the all wheel drive TT Rs handled around a slalom course marked out with more cones.

With only 445 bhp on tap this time from the TT(!), a quick touch on the paddle shift and I was off. Another tap into second before I reached the first of the cones.  Flicking the wheel left and right with cones coming up far too fast, I was too wide around the top part of the course.  I got back in line for the last part, stopping at the end to hear my fate from Josef,  “Smooooth with the wheel,” he said, “and steer before you get to the turning in cone”.

My second go was much better and now I appreciated how the car ‘sticks’ to the road like it is on rails. After another half dozen circuits my driving technique was improving greatly. “Much smoooother,” commented our instructor which was a nice note to finish the morning.

Into the afternoon

The afternoon session started for me in the A5 RS, this time to show off the A5’s stability control system. Parallel cones marked a track and at the end was a very sharp chicane. We were told to drive flat out from our starting point up to a blue cone, take our foot off the gas and steer round the very tight chicane at the end. “Just one minor point to make you aware of on this test,” said our instructor. “This is NOT a braking test, I do not want to see any brake lights, I will show you how it’s done, then it’s up to you.”

We are second up this time and have to wait for the cones to be replaced as the guys before us managed to hit just about every cone on the track.

The cones look like a brick wall and accelerating to the steering zone Simon tells me we are at 80mph but I throw the car left and right managing not to hit any cones at all.  I am very pleased with myself but instead of the praise I was looking for, Jerry the instructor repeated that we were not performing a braking exercise (apparently I had braked) and said I was far too slow!

Next go I got up to 90mph and I just got through although the car lurched violently.  A lot better  but I had touched the brakes again!

I was determined it would be third time lucky. I accelerated hard, up to turning cone left. Incredible road holding.  It earned me a thumbs up from the instructor.  At last I had nailed it!

Time for coffee and some photos and afterwards we were back in the R8, this time for full laps. Through the chicanes, flat out on the straight reaching 135mph, hit the brakes for the right line into the corner with the R8’s gizmos working flat out to keep the car on the track, lap after lap. We get faster and faster – what an absolutely fantastic car, the road holding is just immense!

Unbelievably it’s time for our last session of the day, and we are back in the TT RS.  As we follow the instructor out to the start of the circuit, I think I’ll have a bit of fun and reach for the ‘Sport’ mode button.

We’re on the paddles as well, such lightening quick gear changes and again the road holding on the all wheel drive TT amazes, and although it feels down on power after the laps in the R8, it’s a fantastic drive.

Then it’s over. Our Audi Driving Experience has come to an end and we are back to the pit lane and out of the cars, chatting away to our fellow drivers extolling the virtues of our day. Then the instructors tell us they have one last treat for us, we are each going to have a ‘Hot’ lap with one of them!

While we are waiting our turn, we see the first three back after their lap; one smiling the other two looking decidedly pale.  Then it’s my turn with Fredrik, the young instructor.

“Brace your feet on the floor, grab your belt and enjoy,” was the message.  The lap was a blur to be honest, all I remember thinking was how can a car travel this fast, stop so quickly and go around the track as if on rails. It was then I realised what it took to be a works driver for a firm like Audi.

So which was my favourite drive?

This was hardly a business car comparison, but my favourite was the TT RS, and here’s why.

It was the more usable car of the three, comfortable, great performance and if you compare the costs it 0ffers excellent value for money.

Not quite a family car or a typical company car but did have the best rear seat leg room. And the best bit was the paddle-shift DSG gearbox on the vehicle – very impressive and so easy to use.